The ancient history of the Wallstome name begins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the family resided in one of a variety of similarly-named places. Settlements named Woolstone are in Buckinghamshire and Devon. Wolstan is a parish in Warwickshire and Woolston is a hamlet in Somerset. The surname Wallstome belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxonhabitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Wallstome family

The surname Wallstome was first found in Lancashire at Woolstone, a township, in the parish and union of Warrington, hundred of West Derby. Saint Walstan (or Walston) (died 1016) dedicated his life to farming and the care of farm animals and is accordingly the patron saint of farms, farmers, farmhands, ranchers and husbandrymen. "[Bawburgh, or Babur in Norfolk] is distinguished as the birthplace of St. Walstan; he lived at Taverham, where he died in 1016, and his remains were removed hither, and enshrined in a chapel in the parish church. The resort of pilgrims to visit his shrine greatly enriched the vicar and officiating priests, who, in 1309, rebuilt the church; but the chapel in which the remains of the saint were deposited was demolished in the reign of Henry VIII." [1]CITATION[CLOSE]Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.

Early History of the Wallstome family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wallstome research.Another 159 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1579, 1465, 1535, 1594, 1668 and 1733 are included under the topic Early Wallstome History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wallstome Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Wallstome include Woolston, Woolton, Wolston and others.

Early Notables of the Wallstome family (pre 1700)

Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wallstome Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Wallstome family to the New World and Oceana

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Wallstome or a variant listed above: John Woolston settled in New Castle, Delaware in 1677; and moved in the same year to New Jersey; William Woolton settled in Virginia in 1639.